Social Justice
Lessons From Prison
Posted on November 5, 2025 by Liz Dederich
Dick’s guest, Douglas Smith, was a social worker, a policy insider at the Texas capitol and a father when untreated mental illness and addiction led him to rob a bank and land in prison for nearly six years. He is now flourishing as a social worker helping people develop leadership skills. His recent book is […]
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Read MorePrison & Jail Reform
Posted on October 22, 2025 by Liz Dederich
There are currently about 2,000,000 people incarcerated in the United States. Some say this system of justice is thoroughly unjust, costly and needlessly punishes instead of rehabilitates. What can be done to improve or even fix this system? Dick’s guest, Diane Endres-Ballweg is a business owner, philanthropist and author who recently attended the Advanced Leadership […]
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Read MoreInside Immigration & Deportation Today
Posted on August 6, 2025 by Liz Dederich
There are currently somewhere between 11 and 18 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. These are people with no legal rights to be living in this country. Should they be expelled immediately? If so, how? Is the Trump administration executing these deportations within the law? Dick’s guest, Grant Sovern is an immigration attorney with […]
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Read MoreInnocent and Behind Bars (Encore)
Posted on June 25, 2025 by Liz Dederich
Of the over 2 million Americans behind bars, about 100,000 didn’t do it. They are innocent. The Innocence Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School is on the cutting edge of helping to exonerate the wrongfully convicted, including Steven Avery. Dick’s guest is Keith Findley, law professor and co-founder and co-director of the Wisconsin […]
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Read MoreDiversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
Posted on May 14, 2025 by Liz Dederich
What can be so objectionable about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)? It is a framework used in schools and organizations to create environments in which all individuals feel valued, respected and supported regardless of race, age, gender, disability or sexual orientation. Can it actually be discriminatory as described by President Trump and the Supreme Court? […]
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Read MoreNot Guilty by Reason of Insanity (Encore)
Posted on April 30, 2025 by Liz Dederich
Dick’s guest, Dr. Ken Robbins, adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and past Medical Director of Psychiatry at Mendota Mental Health Institute, explains what determines an outcome of not guilty by reason of insanity and what treatment follows.
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Read MoreSexual Violence Reporting After #MeToo
Posted on October 23, 2024 by Liz Dederich
The #MeToo movement took off after the investigation and prosecution of Harvey Weinstein and with it the reaction to sexual violence and harassment changed dramatically. Dick’s guest, Dana Pellebon is the Director of RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center of Dane County in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Read MoreHiring The Previously Incarcerated
Posted on September 11, 2024 by Liz Dederich
Should you hire previously incarcerated people? Employers may be missing out on valued staff as there are over 2 million previously incarcerated Americans. Yet, there are reasons to be careful and cautious. Dick’s guest, Linda Ketcham is the Executive Director of Just Dane which helps individuals and families involved in the criminal justice system.
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Read MoreLife After Exoneration
Posted on January 17, 2024 by Liz Dederich
Dick’s guest, Jarrett Adams was wrongfully convicted for rape at the age of 17. 11 years later he was exonerated. He discusses how he went from “jailhouse lawyer” to real-life lawyer and how he uses his life experience to help exonerate others as well as improve the criminal justice system. Jarrett Adams is also the author […]
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Read MoreHelping Black Men Succeed
Posted on December 6, 2023 by Liz Dederich
26% of Black men live in poverty. 1 in 5 will be incarcerated at some point in their lives. Black men also experience twice the unemployment rate as white men. Dick’s guest, Corey Marrioneaux is Founder and President of Black Men Coalition of Dane County an agency in Madison, Wisconsin that helps primarily Black men […]
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Read MoreThe Effects of Incarceration
Posted on November 22, 2023 by Liz Dederich
There are nearly 2 million people behind bars in the United States. There are also over 6 million family members of the incarcerated additionally affected, creating a huge impact that needs to be addressed. Dick’s guest, Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia is a clinical psychologist and the former warden of the Cook County Jail in Chicago, […]
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Read MorePublic Defenders Today (Encore)
Posted on October 18, 2023 by Liz Dederich
Can low income defendants get a proper defense today using a public defender? What are the challenges public defenders face? Dick’s guest is State Public Defender Kelli Thompson for the State of Wisconsin.
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Read MoreThe Broken Criminal Justice System and How to Fix It
Posted on October 4, 2023 by Liz Dederich
Dick’s guest, Ed Wall was a long-serving police officer and former Director of the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections. He shares his insights concerning the problems with our criminal justice system and what changes need to be made to fix them.
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Read More911: A New Approach When Calls Involve a Mentally Disturbed Person
Posted on September 20, 2023 by Liz Dederich
Nearly 20% of all 911 calls involve a mentally disturbed person. In the past, all of these calls were responded to by police with little to no mental health training, sometimes ending in tragedy. Recently, there has been a push to create mental health emergency response teams to provide proper support for those in crisis. […]
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Read MoreRestorative Justice Programs
Posted on March 22, 2023 by Liz Dederich
How can restorative justice programs help victims heal and possibly help perpetrators to be less likely to re-offend? Dick’s guest, Reverend Jerry Hancock is Director of the Prison Ministry Program at First Congregational Church in madison, Wisconsin.
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Read More21st Century Policing
Posted on January 18, 2023 by Liz Dederich
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett joins Dick to discuss what needs to change for effective policing in the 21st Century.
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Read MoreFuture of Jails
Posted on December 6, 2022 by Liz Dederich
Jails are in transformation from holding pens to more humanitarian rehabilitative facilities. As Dane County in Wisconsin embarks on building a new jail, Sheriff Kalvin Barrett discusses with Dick what he sees as wrong with jails today and what they need to do to release safer and more productive inmates back into society.
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Read MoreFelons & The Right to Vote
Posted on November 9, 2022 by Liz Dederich
6.1 million felons are currently denied the right to vote. Some incarcerated, some on parole and others who have served their sentence. What are the pros and cons for granting felons the right to vote? Dick’s guest, Ramiah Whiteside was incarcerated for 25 years. He is now Associate Director and Prison Relational Voter Program Inreach […]
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Read MoreEncore: MICRO-AGGRESSIONS AGAINST AFRICAN AMERICANS
Posted on July 21, 2021 by Liz Dederich
The daily racial slights, remarks and insulting behavior that “nice people” inflict on African Americans, usually without even knowing it. Dick’s guests are Everett Mitchell, Director of Community Relations at UW-Madison and Senior Pastor at Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church, Annette Miller, Emerging Markets Community Development Manager at Madison Gas & Electric and past […]
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Read MoreMurder, Incarceration and Resilience
Posted on June 9, 2021 by Liz Dederich
At 25, he committed a murder. At 28, he was on America’s Most Wanted. He was captured and served 25 years in prison. Now a year after his release, he is flourishing. Dick’s guest, Shar-Ron Buie, shares his journey.
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Read MoreWhy Women Kill
Posted on January 6, 2021 by Dick Goldberg
What happens when a woman strikes back and kills her abuser? What can these acts teach us about domestic abuse? Dick’s guest is Dr. Darald Hanusa, a University of Wisconsin-Madison lecturer, practitioner, trainer and expert in domestic violence.
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Read MoreNot Guilty by Reason of Insanity
Posted on November 18, 2020 by Dick Goldberg
Dick’s guest, Dr. Ken Robbins, adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and past Medical Director of Psychiatry at Mendota Mental Health Institute, explains what determines an outcome of not guilty by reason of insanity and what treatment follows.
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Read MorePayday Loans
Posted on July 29, 2020 by Dick Goldberg
Are payday loans necessarily abusive and destructive ways to get cash? What are the pros and cons of such loans? Dick’s guest Jessica Roulette is a staff attorney at Legal Action Wisconsin.
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Read MoreFoster Parenting in America
Posted on January 15, 2020 by Dick Goldberg
There are over 400,000 children in foster care. Who are the kids? Who are the foster parents? How effective is the system? Dick’s guest is Ellen Smith, Clinical Associate Professor and Associate Director of the UW-Madison School of Social Work.
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Read MoreThe Case for Reparations
Posted on June 19, 2019 by Dick Goldberg
The average American black family has 1/12 the wealth of the average white family. Some of the reasons for this might surprise you or even shock you. Recently, Congress has taken up the issue of reparations. Dick’s guest, Kaleem Caire is a national leader in the K-12 movement. He is also a leader in the […]
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Read MoreHuman Trafficking 101
Posted on May 22, 2019 by Dick Goldberg
Human trafficking involves thousands of victims around the world, including the United States. Who are the perpetrators and victims of human trafficking? How can this happen? Dick’s guest is Nancy J. Hartwell, author of Harem Slave who first began investigating human trafficking worldwide after a friend was kidnapped and rumored to have been sold into sexual […]
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Read MoreJustified Anger of African-Americans
Posted on April 10, 2019 by Dick Goldberg
Dr. Alex Gee, Senior Pastor of Fountain of Life Covenant Church in Madison, Wisconsin shares the everyday racism experienced by even the most accomplished African-Americans. He also describes how deep racism still remains embedded in our culture.
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Read MoreRacial Wealth Gap
Posted on February 13, 2019 by Dick Goldberg
Black Americans average 1/12th the net worth of white Americans. How did this happen? How can this gap be reduced? Dick’s guest is attorney Robert Wynn, Founder of Asset Builders of America.
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Read MoreWorkplace Bias
Posted on November 21, 2018 by Liz Dederich
How can unconscious workplace bias affect decision making with employers and coworkers? Is there a way to make ourselves less biased or unbiased? Dick’s guest is Deborah Vaughn Biddle, founder of High Performance Development Solutions LLC and is also a diversity and inclusion corporate consultant.
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Read MoreImmigration 101
Posted on August 29, 2018 by Liz Dederich
What are the current immigration laws and policies? How can these help us evaluate the “wisdom” of suggested changes? Dick’s guest, Shabnam Lofti, is the head of a law firm specializing in immigration law. Her firm serves clients throughout the Unites States and around the world.
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